Using a 4K Video with HD Videos in Multi-cam Sequence

[SK321]

I've got a multi-cam sequence with three HD video sources and one 4K video source. My question is, if I scale the 4K source down 50% so the whole video will show in the 1920x1080 frame, will I lose quality if I later scale that camera angle up to 100% (if I'm just wanting a certain region of the frame, for instance)? My guess is that I will lose quality because I've basically scaled down 50% and now I'm upscaling that downscaled image.

Is there a way to keep the full, 4K scaling ability if I'm using it in an HD multi-cam sequence, or will I have to go through the multi-cam edit and replace all instances of that camera angle with the original video rather than the multi-cam sequence?

[Harold Silva]

You have to use:
SET to frame size instead SCALE to frame size.

if you do that, you dont have problem with upscaling.

Her you find all the info
Set to Frame Size vs Scale to Frame Size - YouTube

[SK321]

Okay, so looks like the answer to my question is no, it won't lose quality. The SET to frame size just changes the scale % for me, which I had already manually set to 50%.

Thanks!

[SK321]

Nope, that doesn't work. As I feared, when I try to scale the nested 4K footage back up to its original size, it has lost quality. Looks like my original solution of replacing that camera angle every time I used it with the original 4K footage is what I'm going to have to do.

[excited_Genie16B8]

As long as the Scale parameter doesn't go above 100%, you won't lose quality.

Note that you have to do this work on the original media in the Source sequence, not the multicam clip in the Target sequence.

[SK321]

Jim_Simon  wrote

Note that you have to do this work on the original media in the Source sequence, not the multicam clip in the Target sequence.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. So, I took the original 4K video clip and synced it up on a track above the multi-cam sequence once I had finished my multi-cam editing. I then went through and replaced all instances of that camera angle with the original 4K footage, so I could scale without any quality loss.

Thanks.

[excited_Genie16B8]

That'll do it.

[SK321 · Accepted solution]

I figured out a better way to do this. Basically, what I do is make the multicam sequence a 4K sequence, so all of my 1920x1080 footage at 100% scale is just sitting in the middle of the frame, surrounded by black on all sides, but the 4K footage completely fills the frame. Then, I make the frame size for the sequence the multicam sequence is going into 1920x1080, so all of the HD footage fills the frame automatically, and the 4K camera is just at double the resolution. This gives me the ability to edit the multicam sequence and then after I'm happy with the cuts, I can scale the 4K angle to my heart's content without losing any quality or having to mess with bringing the original 4K fooage in and replacing all instances of it from the multicam sequence.

Hope this helps anyone else who runs into the same scenario.

[Kyle Tindal]

I have a problem when I do as you suggested. I made a 4k multicam sequence and when I went to import it into a 1080 timeline, the standard dialogue box popped up telling me that the sequence settings didn't match the timelines, and asked if I would like to change sequence settings to the timeline's. Regardless of if I answer yes or no (and even if I have the 'set to frame size' option selected for my import settings, both my 4k video and 1080 videos show up in the timeline as scaled to 46.9% which leaves small black bars around the 4k footage and larger ones around the 1080 footage. If I right click the multicam sequence and select "set to frame size" it doesn't do anything. I'm forced to make all of my edits/cuts and then rescale all the individual clips one at a time in the source panel. I thought I might be able to edit the source footage to be scaled the way I want (similar to the way that I can color grade the source footage and it effects all the clips made from that footage) but that doesn't work because its embedded so to speak in the multicam footage... or at least that how I see it. There are no options to edit it, the source panel is blank when the "effects controls" tab is selected and the "master multicam" sequence tab is also selected. So with all that said, is anyone familiar with my predicament and know the antidote to my quandary?

Thanks.